For the second time in a week, Northwestern gave the MSU women's basketball team a run for its money.

This time around, MSU found itself up by 20 in the first half, but the Wildcats battled back, shooting 64 percent in the second half to force the Spartans to hit their free throws at the end. MSU squeaked by, 68-63, Thursday night at Breslin Center.

MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie was not happy with the defensive effort in the second half.

"We got a little satisfied early on. You can't do that against anybody," she said.

Senior guard Victoria Lucas-Perry led the charge throughout the first half — she single-handedly outscored Northwestern (7-20 overall, 1-13 Big Ten) for much of the half, including 19-16 at one point. She finished with 25 points and six rebounds.

At their apex, the Spartans (20-6, 11-2) led 36-16.

"It was one kid who was making plays," Northwestern head coach Beth Combs said. "We weren't stepping up on the defensive end, and we were being passive on the offensive end."

Northwestern went on a 10-0 run from the end of the first half and into the second, which cut MSU's lead by half. The Spartans scored a few baskets, but the pace was mainly dictated by the Wildcats.

"That was unacceptable, but it happens," McCallie said of the run. "We didn't exactly come out defensively like we should've either."

MSU took a 59-51 lead on back-to-back buckets by Lucas-Perry and sophomore forward Aisha Jefferson, but Northwestern cut it down to two points with 58 seconds left on a shot by A.J. Glasauer. She led the Wildcats with 18 points.

But on the next possession, freshman center Allyssa DeHaan pulled down an offensive rebound, forcing Northwestern to foul. MSU hit all its free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

"The best part of the game was the last three minutes," McCallie said. "We executed, we got the ball to the right people and made good decisions."

MSU visits Ohio State on Sunday.